Swamp coolers are used, particularly in low humidity environments, to lower the temperature within a house or other building during the summer months. Typically, in a swamp cooler, water in a reservoir is pumped to an elevated location and caused to flow downwardly under force of gravity through porous pads. The pads are located at exterior air vents through which air is caused to flow by operation of a squirrel-cage blower. Thus, moisture-laden cool air is delivered through interior air vents to the interior of the house or other building.
Swamp coolers are commonly mounted on a roof, in a wall and/or in a window area of the house or other building.
During the late fall, winter, and early spring, it is important to prevent undesired flow of cool and cold air from the atmosphere through the swamp cooler into the house or other building. Various ways have been proposed for solving the above-mentioned undesired flow of cool and cold air into the house or other building. Hoods of canvas or other flexible sheet material have been placed over the exterior of such swamp coolers. Plugs of non-porous insulating material have been placed within such swamp coolers. Impervious sheet material has been placed over the interior air discharge vent. Sometimes the swamp cooler has been removed and the resulting hole temporarily filled or plugged.
None of the proposals mentioned immediately above have proven to be efficacious and otherwise satisfactory to the consumer. Hoods of flexible sheet material, over time, tend to become pervious and they lack eye appeal. Sheet material over the interior discharge site likewise materially detracts from the aesthetic appearance within the home or other building. Interior plugs do not always seal the swamp cooler against air flow and persons having some technical competence are required for placement of the interior plugs. Many untrained homeowners cannot use either the interior plug or the total removal approach themselves because of a lack of technical competence and some of these people lack funds with which to hire others having technical competence to provide the needed service.